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According to MakingStarWars.net, a Star Wars project, which is assumed to be Andor season two, is set to film scenes at the Hever Castle located in Kent, England in the Summer. Why it’s assumed to be Andor is because of when the filming of the Star Wars project takes place as Andor will continue to film in the United Kingdom until August, whereas The Acolyte, the only other Star Wars project currently filming, is due to conclude in April or May. There’s a slight chance it could be related to the upcoming Star Wars film from Damon Lindelof (Watchmen) which is rumoured to begin filming by the Summer, but the more likely outcome is Andor season two.
What’s interesting about the use of Hever Castle is that it was used briefly used to film scenes on Naboo which featured Qui Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson), Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) and Jar Jar Binks (Ahmed Best) for Star Wars: The Phantom Menace. In 1997, the location was used for a single day at the Italian Loggia which features a marble fountain. The scene filmed at the location for The Phantom Menace unfortunately didn’t make the theatrical cut of the film, but you can check out the deleted scene below.
Andor filming at Hever Castle, a location used for Naboo scenes in The Phantom Menace, has raised questions and speculation regarding an appearance of Naboo in the Star Wars series. When I captured pictures of the large set being built at Pinewood Studios, London back in December, some questioned at the time if the set being constructed was Naboo due to the architecture. The Andor production is set to venture to Valencia in the coming weeks, which I’ve heard is for a whopping two months. Though famously a lot of Naboo scenes were filmed in Italy, I wonder if the Valencia shoot could be Naboo related given the design of the large set at Pinewood and the decision to shoot at Hever Castle.
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